Medical Practice 101

Martin Wright June 20th, 2009

Like any other business, first impressions matter a great deal in the medical private practice. Patients and clients of private medical clinics, chiropractors, dentists and spas judge the entire practice and the quality of the services offered there by the reception they receive when they make their first contact with the practice.

You’ve probably heard of patients who have vowed never to seek services from even under the best medical practice management because of the reception they received at the medical front desk or on the phone while making an appointment. Thus it become important for professionals in the medical field who are in private practice to ensure that they get the best front desk helper that technology offers; A virtual medical receptionist.

Medical Practice management, in this modern society, is often about manage time involved in complete a service. People appreciate efficiency in everything because in most cases it will save their time. Anyone who has walked into a busy medical practice reception will agree that a front desk medical receptionist’s job can be overwhelming. There are old and new patients calling to make enquiries, patients waiting in the reception for assistance and loads of paper work. It is no wonder that a good receptionist buckling under the load of paper work and trying to assist patients on the phone and in the reception may become frustrated and rude. A virtual medical receptionist would be a relief to your regular receptionist.

The virtual medical receptionist will handle all incoming calls when your regular receptionist is busy with other office matters. The virtual receptionist will answer all new and old patient queries and help register new patients. The virtual receptionist also comes with online patient appointment scheduling software. Your regular receptionist will appreciate the reduced paperwork as patients will now fill online forms with the assistance of the online appointment scheduler.

The changes in your medical practice will be noticeable. With the virtual medical receptionist on, your regular front desk staff can attend to patients in the reception area without worrying about the phone ringing. If the phone call is an emergency call or if the virtual medical receptionist cannot handle the phone call satisfactorily, the call is forwarded to one of the staff or you.

Patients and other clients who visit your practice will be impressed by the efficiency of the front desk services offered at your practice. There will be less chances of your regular receptionist being rude to or ignoring your patients in the reception or on the phone. The first impression your clients will get of your practice is efficiency and they will be glad to return to your practice for further medical assistance.

The virtual medical receptionist is a rather new tool for medical practice management and some practitioners fear that patients will not want to be assisted by a machine and would rather have the assistance of a real person. This is not entirely true. Patients will appreciate the efficiency and ease of scheduling appointments online from anywhere and at anytime. The virtual medical receptionist is also designed to sound as human like as possible.

Tags: 24/7 new patient registration, medical practice management, new patient sign up, Online Appointment Scheduler, online patient appointment scheduling software, virtual medical receptionist

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Neil Kokemuller January 10th, 2009

With many forecasts predicting that the US and global recession could last through much of 2009, consumers are watching their wallets more than ever. Recent reports have suggested that some are even avoiding medical care and attention in lieu of the expense. This is not good news for chiropractors. Chiropractic care is a medical practice still considered by some people to be more of helpful treatment than a medical necessity. While providers are working to market their businesses, they should also be looking for more efficient means of operation. The virtual medical receptionist presents a tremendous opportunity for chiropractors to deliver quick and accurate customer service while saving on costs and stress.

A virtual medical receptionist is an advanced technology that enables clinics to work with fewer live receptionists, or to offer a great backup receptionist in the event the live agent is busy with patients. The virtual medical office assistant is quick to fill in when needed. It can respond to multiple phone calls at once and assist callers in scheduling appointments and other basic needs, while also being the most efficient connection between a caller and a professional. Though personal attention is nice, most patients would agree that having a quick response to their needs is better than being left on hold or ignored by an overwhelmed live agent.

The virtual receptionist is also the best option for an after-hours response to legal requirements or patient needs. Many small to medium sized chiropractic clinics cannot justify the expense of paying someone to answer phones 24/7. The virtual medical receptionist can easily manage appointment calls and emergency connections when the office is closed.

What makes the virtual receptionist a great value for chiropractors looking to stem the tide of a slumping economy is that it requires little upfront cost and very low maintenance. The technology cost is moderate and other than basic programming and setup, there is no ongoing hassle to get the benefits of the virtual technology. This is not generally the case with live receptionists. In addition to paying the labor and benefits costs for an employee, the provider must also manage employee emotions including stress and exhaustion that are common to medical practices. Additionally, the virtual medical office assistant does not have the same human limitations and it operates with maximum efficiency.

Finding effective ways to control costs is important for any organization during tough economic times. As consumers are looking to manage resources, operators must figure out ways to manage their expenses, yet provide quality service. This is why the virtual medical receptionist is such a huge opportunity for chiropractors. It offers a way to manage labor costs and deliver more efficiency with basic services, yet does not adversely affect the overall performance of the clinic. In fact, most often the best in class virtual receptionist enhances overall office staff performance. Live agents appreciate the reduced stress and support, and they are better able to focus on personal care and necessary insurance paperwork.

Tags: backup receptionist, virtual medical office assistant, virtual medical receptionist, virtual receptionist

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Neil Kokemuller November 24th, 2008

Dentists are like other professionals in that they must manage their resources and make wise investments in order to achieve business success and profits. Labor is one of the most costly items that dental practices must pay for. Dental professionals cannot operate a clinic on their own. They rely on a staff of receptionists and frost desk help to manage patient relationships, phone calls and completion of laborious insurance paperwork. A good front desk receptionist is often what makes or breaks the success or failure of any clinic. The live receptionist is the first point of contact for in-clinic patients, phone callers, and other parties. However, in today’s fast-paced environment, some consumers find it difficult to wait on the phone to talk with a busy receptionist. Also, stressed and overwhelmed receptionists may not offer the personalized attention and care necessary. These factors have contributed to the rise in use of the virtual medical office assistant.

The virtual medical office assistant is the closest thing to a live receptionist, without actually being a live receptionist. While it may lack the personal qualities of a live agent, a virtual receptionist makes up for its deficiencies with awesome efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The virtual medical office assistant can answer multiple phone calls at once while a receptionist is preoccupied with one. The virtual front desk receptionist can also assist callers with routine processes like scheduling appointments, while providing the most efficient connection to a provider in an emergency. Live receptionists often are delayed or forgetful in getting emergency messages to the dentist or provider.

The cost advantages of the virtual medical receptionists are remarkable given the benefits best in class virtual receptionist solutions provide. The up front cost to purchase a quality virtual medical receptionist are modest and there are little to no ongoing maintenance requirements. Whereas employees require ongoing pay, benefits, motivation, and personal management, a virtual receptionist performs its duties consistently and accurately every day without fail and without getting stressed or fatigued.

Human emotions and limitations prevent live agents from always meeting the timeliness and accuracy expectations of patients. Patients generally prefer personalized attention, but they also are willing to take the efficiency of a virtual medical office assistant if the alternative is time consuming. Live agents are sometimes flooded with patients, calls, and paperwork. The stress that results contributes to the high rate of turnover that is common in the medical industry. With the help of a backup receptionist in the form of a virtual medical office assistant, a live receptionist is free to offer personal assistance and is more efficient with other office tasks because they are less stressed.

The virtual medical receptionist is the perfect complement to a quality dental receptionist. The virtual dental receptionist is an excellent value and can greatly improve the morale of any dental practice. Investing in a virtual dental receptionist is a good move from a business standpoint and enables all members of the dental practice to perform up to their potential.

Tags: virtual front desk, virtual medical office assistant, virtual medical receptionist, virtual receptionist

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Neil Kokemuller November 18th, 2008

Psychiatrists, and their receptionists, often have very stressful jobs. Managing patients and business relationships with others that come to your practice to share their personal challenges can be stressful. Obviously, professional practices are the business of helping people with their mental and emotional challenges for a reason. However, the life of the live receptionist at a psychiatry clinic can be more difficult at times than that of the psychiatrist. The reality is front desk receptionists in many healthcare industries have a high rate of turnover. Receptionists are often overwhelmed with delivering personalized services to in-clinic patients, responding to phone calls, and completing requirement insurance paperwork. Psychiatric practices should do themselves, their patients, and their live receptionists a favor and look to the virtual medical office assistant as a backup receptionist.

The virtual receptionist can often deliver certain components of customer service better than a live receptionist, and with less cost and little to know maintenance. Typically, the virtual front desk receptionist requires a one time up front cost and little or no ongoing expense or resource utilization. The value the virtual medical receptionist provides is tremendous, though.

The virtual medical receptionist is the ideal backup receptionist because it offers the preferred backup to a personalized patient approach used by a live receptionist. Live front desk receptionists should be able to deliver personalized and helpful service to patients that are in-clinic and on the phone. They also need to complete insurance claims in an accurate and timely manner in order for the practice to collect important insurance revenue. Unfortunately, many live agents are consumed with patient concerns, phone calls and other office tasks, making them stressed and overwhelmed.

The virtual medical receptionist can answer multiple phone calls at once. As opposed to patients being left on hold, getting a busy signal, or being ignored, the virtual receptionist can help patients quickly and accurately schedule appointments, while at the same time offering the most efficient route to the psychiatric professional in an emergency. Many emergency phone calls are ineffectively managed by live front desk receptionists because they are busy, distracted, or cannot track down the professional. The virtual medical office assistant can be programmed to automatically connect callers with the psychiatrist in an emergency situation. This ability of the backup receptionist to efficiently help busy patients is a tremendous relief to the live receptionist, enabling them to focus on personal care and important paperwork.

The value of the virtual medical assistant is extreme. It is an efficient service program for patients and an excellent complement to a friendly and helpful live receptionist. The virtual medical receptionist can also be expanded to deliver other excellent benefits to a psychiatry practice. Many medical professionals are required to offer after-hours answering service support for patients. The virtual medical receptionist can be a great phone answering service because of its ability to manage anything from the simply patient appointment situation to the true medical emergency. A virtual medical office assistant is benefits all key stakeholders in a psychiatrist office.

Tags: automation, medical practice management, virtual front desk receptionist, virtual medical office assistant, virtual medical receptionist, virtual psychiatrist receptionist, virtual receptinoist

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